Tire inflation device



1 R. s. WALLACH TIRE INFLATION DEVICE Filed Jfily 3, 1946 Earl I JNVENTOIE.

ziofir' J l/a/[aa/z BY M @M'Q-VM ATTORNEYS i'atented Feb. 2i, 1956 UNITED STATE s PAT TIRE INFLATION DEVIQE- Robert S. Wallach, Madisonili. 1.1 assignor to Associated Development & Research Corporation, New York, N. Y., a; corporation of New I York This invention relatesto an improved compressed gas unit and particularly to a unit of relatively small size for use as an emergency means for inflating pneumatic tires.

It'is a principal object of the invention to provide a compressed gas unit of such size that it may conveniently be held in the hand, to be screwed on to the stem of a tire valve, to discharge the gas content into the tire.

It is an object of the invention to provide a compressed gas unit having an improved valve which opens to permit the release of the gas, merely upon screwing the container on to the valve stem.

It is an object of the invention to provide a pneumatic tire inflation unit of substantially bulblike form having at one end an automatic valve means, said unit being so weighted as to concentrate its point of balance at the valve end, thereby making the unit more, easily handled and affixed to the valve.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tire-inflation unit adapted to be screwed on to a tire valve stem, said unit being so designed as to concentrate its weight at the tire valve so that no undue bending stresses will be imposed on the valve when the unit is screwed thereon.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved valve unit for a tire inflation unit, said valve incorporating means to prevent leakage. of gas around the outer wall of the tire valve when gas is discharging from the unit into the tire valve. 1

It is still another object of the invention to provide a, tire inflation unit having valve means bulb like'vessel vl!l ,.fabricated of steel sembly H. It will be noted that the valveen'd of -thevessel has a substantialwall.thicknes or the like I and having sufficient strengthior con fining a gas such as carbon dioxide under high" pressure,,is provided at one end with a valve as l2, whichserves a double function of providing for the screw-threaded insertion of thevalve unit and for concentrating theweight or balance of the. unit at the valve endj In otherwords, the

" wall thickness, and hence the weight is material} bev apparent from the detailed description which follows.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the unit, in section through the valve element, showing the valve in closed position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve end of the unit, showing the valve as it is opened by the action of the tire valve stem;

Fig. 3 is a view looking toward the valve from the inside of the casing, said figure being partly in section to reveal structural details.

A preferred form of the tire inflation unit embodying the invention is illustrated in Fig. 1,

iv greater at the valve endft'hanat' any other por' -f tion of thecontainer. Such concentration 'of Weight. improves the feelf f ,o f the unit whenit held in. the hand preparatory to use, and when the unit. is screwed on to thetubular bod 'Vof atire valve, the balance point of the unit is at the tire valve, which minimizes bendingstress on the. tire valve when, the unitlis supported in slightly angular, position bythe ,valve stem. I The valve assembly includes a relatively heavy nut-like body llhhVlIlgl, preferably concent' tubular extension 1 l5. The tubular extension'vis screw threaded for engagement with' atappd axial opening in the container. A valve body seal or gasket It may be utilized 'topreven't leakage about the valve body when {the yalveis in'closed position. p y The valve'body,;I4 has alcylindrical bore ll which. coaxiall'y'communicates with the relatively much larger interior chamber? l8 of theexten sion 1 5. j Said ,chambe'r accommodates the disc like head l9] and. .valve' seal" 20 'of' a poppetfvalve', and 1 also accommodates the clos' ure springfzl which is confined between the head I9 andfan annularspring retainer 2 2. Said spring retainer is held by curling over the end 1 of the tubular extension, as s own Extending centrally downwardly from the valve head I9 is a tubular stem 23, providedwitha plurality of side wall openings 24. Disposed about said stem is a guide sleeve 25 the end of which is flanged as at 26 to 'slidably engage the side walls of the passage l'l. It will be noted that an annular passage exists between the outer Wall of guide sleeve 25 and the inner wall of the bore ll. The sleeve 25 has openings 29 registering with the openings 24 of the stem 23, whereupon communication is afforded between said annular passage and the axial passage of the valve stem.

The valve disc or seal 20, which is preferably of resilient material, is advantageously clamped between sleeve 25 and the valve head [9 by expanding the end of the valve stem into a cham-. her at the end of the sleeve 25.

cl rics The relative difference in diameters of the bore I! and chamber I8 provides a valve seat 21 against which the sealing disc 20 seats under the combined urging or spring 2| and the pressure of gas within the vessel.

The valve bodyr L4 is axially, counterbored to provide .a spaceawithin %which there is disposed resilient lower seal 31]. 'Seal 30' is annular, the' opening therethrough being concentric with the.

valve stem passage, and it is of such size that a 1'0" from Fig; 2 thatthecenter opening of'gthe lower sen-301s of such diameter relative to the'tapped: passage of retainer 3'! to permit the-unsupported central 1 portion offseal -3ll to beengaged lziy the upper end of ,tlie tire valve-body: as the unit A is sgre'we'd' thereon; whereupon the wallof thew'al've bndyexerts pressure against the"lower seal; flexing it j upwardly; to-bear= against the valve--sleeve assembly to lift'tlie valve -into unseatdposition: Gas will' -then discharge into the chamber: l8 andthemnnular spacegabout th e-valve -stem, and thenceiinto' the stem forpassage into tirevalve-Vi' Itjl is preferable to bevel the upper edge of the lower seal chamber provided in valve bodylite permit-' the desired upward and inward angular displacement of the seal;

It is frequently-the case that the threading on a tirefvalve body is'not perfect; dueto carele'ssness in changingfltires or for other'reasons; The seal 13m therefore1 forms; a gasket between the valve stemnand the edge of the tire valve body which prevents any lealzage or gas around the 1. 1. 51. 1? ofithe v ly l 'o Agun t h v g ,v lume ric c yf i' u I215 cubic inches" will contain' compresfifidii as li iqientiore nflati n f. t e rusua1l an ew na neer; ntim s: it? it i QL e WMfi to user thesentire gas; charge to inflate a; ;.tir to eras r. res u e the valve autbm tica e eati i'eremov otjfl mnit icmiihe t ter v lve."

lt on e-in e mhwi eenrde rih i x mak n a rullr det ledi ets encetc.damm t resent y. pre rred" mbodiment; u hndetai ioi description, is torbe understood in: an instructive rather than a limiting sense many clianggsbe ing possible within the scopeoi the claims hereto'rappended. 7

slam;

1. Tir.e inflation means comprising, a: relatively small sizes containeroif gasiunderkhigh pressuret a valve body secured within an end wall of said container in communication with the interior thereof, said valve body having an end opening threaded for screwing upon the threaded body of a tire valve, a smooth walled bore of larger diameter concentric with said end opening, and alcylindrioa'l chamber communicating with and conc'entriewith said bore-and openinginto said container; a valve seat at the base of said cylindrical chamber; a poppet valve disposed within said gcylinder for cooperation with said seat and having a tubular stem extending into said bore, saidgstem'pbeing of 'smaller diameter than said tirevalve lciody'and having side wall openings; metallic sleeve' means disposed snugly about said stem and .in contact with the wall of said bore for'guidingtathet-lvalve stem for axial movement within said bore; and means disposed within said bor'e for engagement by the end of said tire valve body and movable upwardly against said sleeve means. for unseating said valve whenssaid contain-er is screwed on tothe end of'* saidatirel said guide sleeve having flange meansrexten'de ingoutwardly-into slidablelengagement with said bore; said stem and guideslsleevei havingeregisie tering openings through thesidesathereof: bee tween-said flangeand s'aid'l'hea'd to L afifordz-com munica-tion between said axial bore andithel intee ri'or' of said valve: stem; valvem discsmeanse dis posed about said stem intermediate -said guide: sleeve-"and said headymeans for securing: together said stem and said guide sleeve; and" spring means 1 Within said valve chamber and engaging with said valve head te: urge E the -valve: member:

normally into seated p ositionz ROBERT?- Si REEER-ENCES GI 'IlEDs.

h v nef ei n es'a e f e erdi ni he fi fi is p tent": r

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

